Michael Baker International
Lead Database Developer - AI/ML Focus
Michael Baker International, Seattle, Washington, us, 98127
Michael Baker International is seeking a skilled Lead Database Developer with AI/ML expertise to architect, build, and scale intelligent, data‑driven applications across our enterprise ecosystem. As the Lead Database Developer, you will architect, build, and optimize enterprise‑grade data platforms that power AI/ML products, analytics, and automation initiatives. You will lead database developers, partner with data scientists, and own the roadmap for scalable data systems that enable real‑time insights and model‑driven decision‑making. This position reports to the VP of Data and AI in the CTO Organization at Michael Baker International.
Responsibilities
Data Architecture & Leadership
Lead design of scalable data pipelines, ingestion frameworks, and distributed processing systems.
Architect enterprise data lake/lakehouse/warehouse solutions (Databricks, Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift).
Guide data engineers on best practices, code quality, and scalable data engineering patterns.
Own end‑to‑end execution of data engineering initiatives, including estimation, delivery, and performance optimization.
AI/ML Engineering Enablement
Build ML‑ready data environments, feature stores, and training pipelines.
Partner with data scientists to productionize ML models with CI/CD/CT.
Implement model monitoring, data quality, feature versioning, and automated retraining.
Support real‑time and batch feature engineering and inference pipelines.
Data Development Excellence
Develop scalable ELT/ETL pipelines using Spark, PySpark, SQL, Airflow, DBT, Kafka, Kinesis.
Build high‑quality data models (dimensional, data vault, lakehouse).
Implement observability, lineage, and data quality frameworks across all pipelines.
MLOps & Cloud Engineering
Architect MLOps pipelines using Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, MLflow, SageMaker, or Vertex AI.
Optimize cloud cost, performance, and reliability for large‑scale AI/ML workloads.
Drive standards for cloud data infrastructure and reusable data engineering components.
Governance, Security & Compliance
Ensure compliance with SOC2, GDPR, PII standards based on company needs.
Implement secure data‑sharing, encryption, IAM, tokenization, and access patterns.
Maintain metadata, cataloging, governance processes (Collibra, Alation, Unity Catalog).
Innovation & GenAI Readiness
Champion emerging technologies including GenAI, vector databases, and LLM‑based pipelines.
Drive innovation in AI/ML data engineering and real‑time analytics.
Team Development and Stakeholder Engagement
Lead and mentor data engineering teams.
Collaborate with data scientists, ML engineers, and business stakeholders to deliver impactful solutions.
Translate business requirements into scalable data strategies.
Professional Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field, or similar, or equivalent experience.
Any data or AI/ML related certifications.
6–12+ years of data engineering experience with 2–5+ years in a lead role.
Strong programming in Python, SQL; deep expertise in Spark/Databricks.
Experience building ML‑ready architectures, feature stores, and MLOps pipelines.
Expertise with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
Proven ability to lead engineering teams, mentor junior engineers, and drive architectural decisions.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience implementing vector databases (Pinecone, FAISS, Milvus) and LLM‑based pipelines including RAG.
Background in real‑time analytics and low‑latency ML inference.
Experience in highly regulated industries (healthcare, fintech, retail, AEC, manufacturing).
Ensure quality, compliance, and security across all data platforms while implementing observability, lineage, and governance frameworks.
Define and execute enterprise data strategies aligned with AI/ML initiatives while championing best practices in data engineering, MLOps, and cloud optimization.
Compensation The approximate compensation range for this position is $130,000 to $170,000. This compensation range is a good‑faith estimate for the position at the time of posting. Actual compensation is dependent upon factors such as education, qualifications, experience, skillset, and physical work location.
Benefits
Medical, dental, vision insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan
Health Savings Account (HSA)
Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
Life, AD&D, short‑term, and long‑term disability
Professional and personal development
Generous paid time off
Commuter and wellness benefits
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Responsibilities
Data Architecture & Leadership
Lead design of scalable data pipelines, ingestion frameworks, and distributed processing systems.
Architect enterprise data lake/lakehouse/warehouse solutions (Databricks, Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift).
Guide data engineers on best practices, code quality, and scalable data engineering patterns.
Own end‑to‑end execution of data engineering initiatives, including estimation, delivery, and performance optimization.
AI/ML Engineering Enablement
Build ML‑ready data environments, feature stores, and training pipelines.
Partner with data scientists to productionize ML models with CI/CD/CT.
Implement model monitoring, data quality, feature versioning, and automated retraining.
Support real‑time and batch feature engineering and inference pipelines.
Data Development Excellence
Develop scalable ELT/ETL pipelines using Spark, PySpark, SQL, Airflow, DBT, Kafka, Kinesis.
Build high‑quality data models (dimensional, data vault, lakehouse).
Implement observability, lineage, and data quality frameworks across all pipelines.
MLOps & Cloud Engineering
Architect MLOps pipelines using Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, MLflow, SageMaker, or Vertex AI.
Optimize cloud cost, performance, and reliability for large‑scale AI/ML workloads.
Drive standards for cloud data infrastructure and reusable data engineering components.
Governance, Security & Compliance
Ensure compliance with SOC2, GDPR, PII standards based on company needs.
Implement secure data‑sharing, encryption, IAM, tokenization, and access patterns.
Maintain metadata, cataloging, governance processes (Collibra, Alation, Unity Catalog).
Innovation & GenAI Readiness
Champion emerging technologies including GenAI, vector databases, and LLM‑based pipelines.
Drive innovation in AI/ML data engineering and real‑time analytics.
Team Development and Stakeholder Engagement
Lead and mentor data engineering teams.
Collaborate with data scientists, ML engineers, and business stakeholders to deliver impactful solutions.
Translate business requirements into scalable data strategies.
Professional Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field, or similar, or equivalent experience.
Any data or AI/ML related certifications.
6–12+ years of data engineering experience with 2–5+ years in a lead role.
Strong programming in Python, SQL; deep expertise in Spark/Databricks.
Experience building ML‑ready architectures, feature stores, and MLOps pipelines.
Expertise with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
Proven ability to lead engineering teams, mentor junior engineers, and drive architectural decisions.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience implementing vector databases (Pinecone, FAISS, Milvus) and LLM‑based pipelines including RAG.
Background in real‑time analytics and low‑latency ML inference.
Experience in highly regulated industries (healthcare, fintech, retail, AEC, manufacturing).
Ensure quality, compliance, and security across all data platforms while implementing observability, lineage, and governance frameworks.
Define and execute enterprise data strategies aligned with AI/ML initiatives while championing best practices in data engineering, MLOps, and cloud optimization.
Compensation The approximate compensation range for this position is $130,000 to $170,000. This compensation range is a good‑faith estimate for the position at the time of posting. Actual compensation is dependent upon factors such as education, qualifications, experience, skillset, and physical work location.
Benefits
Medical, dental, vision insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan
Health Savings Account (HSA)
Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
Life, AD&D, short‑term, and long‑term disability
Professional and personal development
Generous paid time off
Commuter and wellness benefits
#J-18808-Ljbffr